Psalms 26:8
My heart hath said to thee: My face hath sought thee: thy face, O Lord, will I still seek.
Open Psalms 26:8 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Tibi dixit cor meum : Exquisivit te facies mea ; faciem tuam, Domine, requiram.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- σοὶ εἶπεν ἡ καρδία μου. ἐξεζήτησα τὸ πρόσωπόν σου· τὸ πρόσωπόν σου, Κύριε, ζητήσω.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 27:8
- לְךָ֤ אָמַ֣ר לִ֭בִּי בַּקְּשׁ֣וּ פָנָ֑י אֶת פָּנֶ֖יךָ יְהוָ֣ה אֲבַקֵּֽשׁ
Haydock's commentary
Face hath. Hebrew pointed, "faces seek ye." But Septuagint, St. Jerome, Chaldean, &c., take no notice of these points; and even Protestants' marginal note has, "My heart said unto thee, Let my face seek thy face;" (Berthier) though in the text they derange the words, and add, "When thou saidst, Seek ye my face, my heart said," &c. (Haydock)
Seek. "I have sought for no reward besides thee." (St. Augustine)
I have earnestly desired to see thee face to face, 1 Corinthians xiii. 12. (Worthington)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Augustine Book I, Chapter XVIII
28. But what matter of surprise is it that I was thus carried towards vanity, and went forth from Thee, O my God, when men were proposed to me to imitate, who, should they in relating any acts of theirs, not in themselves evil, be guilty of a barbarism or solecism, when censured for it became confounded; but when they made a full and ornate oration, in well-chosen words, concerning their own licentiousness, and were applauded for it, they boasted? Thou seest this, O Lord, and keepest silence, “long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth,” as Thou art. Wilt Thou keep silence for ever? And even now Thou drawest out of this vast deep the soul that seeketh Thee and thirsteth after Thy delights, whose “heart said unto Thee,” I have sought Thy face, “Thy face, Lord, will I seek.” For I was far from Thy face, through my darkened affections. …
St Augustine Book IX, Chapter III
6. He then was at that time full of grief; but Nebridius was joyous. Although he also, not being yet a Christian, had fallen into the pit of that most pernicious error of believing Thy Son to be a phantasm, yet, coming out thence, he held the same belief that we did; not as yet initiated in any of the sacraments of Thy Church, but a most earnest inquirer after truth. Whom, not long after our conversion and regeneration by Thy baptism, he being also a faithful member of the Catholic Church, and serving Thee in perfect chastity and continency amongst his own people in Africa, when his whole household had been brought to Christianity through him, didst Thou release from the flesh; and now he lives in Abraham’s bosom. Whatever that may be which is signified by that bosom, there lives my Nebridius, my sweet friend, Thy son, O Lord, adopted of a freedman; there he liveth. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm XXVII
8. “My heart hath said to Thee, I have sought Thy countenance” ( ver. 8 ). For I have not exhibited myself to men; but in secret, where Thou alone hearest, my heart hath said to Thee; I have not sought from Thee aught without Thee as a reward, but Thy countenance. “Thy countenance, O Lord, will I seek.” In thus search will I perseveringly persist: for not aught that is common, but Thy countenance, O Lord, will I seek, that I may love Thee freely, since nothing more precious do I find.